Translator: CinderTL
Withered Desolation Marsh.
Five hundred miles beneath the surface.
Song Wen was fleeing rapidly northwest.
After escaping Du'e's detection range, he used a life-substitution art to teleport to a patch of mud protruding above the water.
Then, activating an Earth Evasion Talisman, he plunged deep underground.
The Earth Evasion Talisman was remarkably mystical, allowing him to move freely through soil and rock as effortlessly as an eagle soaring through the sky or a fish swimming through the sea.
His escape speed underground was only slightly slower than in the air.
Moreover, while using the Earth Evasion Talisman left faint traces of his aura, these traces were already weak and further concealed by the thick layers of rock, making them nearly impossible to detect.
The combination of the Earth Evasion Talisman and the Substitute Puppet formed an ideal escape strategy.
However, even this perfect combination couldn't match the teleportation talisman Chi Pei had once used, capable of instantly transporting him tens of thousands of miles.
Song Wen attempted to descend deeper, but beyond five hundred miles, the earth-brown spiritual light surrounding him began to flicker violently, becoming increasingly unstable, as if it might dissipate at any moment.
As Song Wen delved deeper underground, the pressure from the earth multiplied exponentially. It felt like the weight of a thousand mountains and ten thousand peaks crashing down upon him simultaneously, layer upon layer, boundless and overwhelming.
Notably, even with Song Wen's formidable divine sense, the crushing pressure of the rock prevented him from sensing the surface world. He had no way of knowing how far underground he had actually tunneled.
The depth of five hundred li had been specified by Ye Bing when she gave him the Earth Evasion Talisman.
Thus, Song Wen had no way of knowing if he had shaken off Du'e. He could only focus on tunneling forward with all his might.
A fifth-tier earth evasion talisman could only sustain its effect for the duration of an incense stick burning. Beyond that time, the earthy-brown spiritual light would dissipate.
Yet within that brief period, Song Wen had already tunneled tens of thousands of li.
Instead of surfacing or using his last Earth Evasion Talisman, he used his physical strength to carve out a three-meter-tall cave underground just before the earthy-brown spiritual light faded. Suppressing all traces of his presence, he concealed himself there.
Throughout his confrontation with Du'e, Song Wen had consistently presented himself as a disciple of the Divine Blood Gate. As long as Du'e harbored any doubts about this claim, he wouldn't dare reveal the truth.
After all, if Song Wen truly were a disciple of the Divine Blood Gate, Du'e would be signing his own death warrant by revealing this information.
And after a period of observation, when the Divine Blood Gate took no action, Du'e would realize Song Wen's lie.
However, Du'e still dared not report Song Wen's cultivation of the Corpse King's Rebirth Art to the Veiled Moon Hall, fearing exposure of his private deal with Song Wen involving a thousand Bodhi Spirit Cores.
Therefore, Song Wen remained unconcerned about Du'e seeking outside help.
He settled into his hiding place with peace of mind.
After two days underground without incident, Song Wen resumed excavating the rock by hand, expanding the cave to a hundred zhang in length.
He then set up the Heavenly Mechanism Concealment Formation and began meditating to cultivate.
The spiritual Qi here was decent, and the cave's deep underground location made it an ideal secluded cultivation spot.
Time flowed slowly, and fifteen years passed in the blink of an eye.
Song Wen finally stabilized his cultivation completely.
Moreover, thanks to a steady supply of medicinal pills and spirit stones, his three Shadow Gu had advanced to the third-tier peak, the Shadow King Gu had reached the late fourth-tier, and the Blood Earthworm Gu had also progressed to the third-tier.
Only the Nether Fox, having been trapped underground for so long, couldn't obtain enough blood food and remained at the mid-fourth-tier.
The rapid consumption of Bodhi Spirit Cores due to the mass production of King Gu Pills for the Shadow King Gu had left Song Wen with only sixty-odd cores. This forced him to halt the pill refinement process.
His hatred for Du'e intensified further.
To escape, he had been forced to abandon two hundred mature Bodhi Spirit Cores and over eight hundred newly propagated seedlings.
Additionally, Song Wen had cultivated his divine sense, but his limited soul reserves meant that even after devouring them all, he remained far from reaching the peak divine transformation stage.
Lacking cultivation resources, Song Wen had no choice but to break through his seclusion.
He deactivated the Heavenly Mechanism Concealment Formation, transforming his hands into the sharp claws of a mummified corpse. Slowly, he began digging through the rock above.
The rock deep underground was incredibly hard, yet before Song Wen's claws, it crumbled like tofu.
As he dug, a torrent of foul-smelling sludge suddenly poured down from above.
Unaware of the situation above and fearing danger, Song Wen refrained from activating his spiritual power to avoid alerting any potential humans or demon beasts. Without a Mana Shield, he remained vulnerable.
The sludge poured directly over him, washing over his entire body.
The Withered Desolation Marsh had existed for countless years. The sludge at its bottom seemed to be the accumulated filth of the earth, reeking with a suffocating stench and clinging to him like it wanted to seep into his skin. Song Wen felt an immediate wave of nausea and discomfort, his head spinning and his stomach churning violently.
The rocks Song Wen had excavated were placed beneath him in the tunnel. The sludge quickly filled the narrow space and stopped flowing.
Song Wen stood motionless for a long time, holding his breath and focusing his mind, finally managing to shake off the discomfort.
This sludge at the bottom of the swamp could practically be used as poison. Even a peak divine transformation stage cultivator might risk fainting if directly immersed in it like he was.
By now, his divine sense could reach the surface. Confirming that the area was deserted, with no signs of human activity or powerful demon beasts, Song Wen suddenly felt his earlier caution had been excessive, almost self-inflicted suffering.
Still, having come this far, he couldn't return empty-handed.
He retrieved an empty storage ring and filled it to the brim with mud.
Then, channeling his spiritual power, he shook violently, instantly dislodging the mud and his clothes from his body, sending them flying in all directions. Simultaneously, he activated a Mana Shield to keep the mud at bay.
After changing into clean clothes, Song Wen shot skyward, breaking through the thick layer of mud and emerging above the swamp.
"I wonder if Ye Bing managed to escape?" he murmured to himself, but made no attempt to search for her.
Whether she was still alive or not, he had no way to contact her, making it pointless to waste time on the matter.
That night, disguised as a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, Song Wen arrived at the Rotting Ghost Market, the largest black market near Cloudveil City.
He first purchased a batch of demon beast corpses and souls, along with Spirit Herbs for cultivation, before heading to an information shop.
The shopkeeper was a weathered old man with a face etched with the passage of time.
"Greetings, esteemed guest," the old man said. "What information do you seek?"
Song Wen asked, "Has anything significant happened at Veiled Moon Hall in the past twenty years?"
The old man lifted his cloudy eyes and gave Song Wen a long, scrutinizing look.
In the vicinity of Cloudveil City, and indeed throughout the entire Qicang Domain, few dared to inquire so directly about Veiled Moon Hall's affairs.
"Recently, no major events have been reported from Veiled Moon Hall. At least, on the surface, everything appears normal," the old man replied.
His answer aligned with Song Wen's expectations. Du'e hadn't revealed that Song Wen possessed the Corpse King's Rebirth Art. Of course, it was also possible that Du'e had already reported the matter to Veiled Moon Hall, but the organization operated with such secrecy that the outside world remained unaware.
"Do you have any information on the current status of Du'e, the abbot of Dry Zen Temple?" Song Wen asked.
"None," the old man shook his head decisively. "The movements of a Void Refinement Stage cultivator are not so easily tracked."
Song Wen didn't press further. He tossed down two high-grade spirit stones and left the shop.
(End of the Chapter)
Translator's Corner
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